I was "manager on site" today, again, which meant a lot of little "people problems" that occupied my time instead of my REAL job, which is supposed to Staff Development Manager. I did have an opportunity to see one of my Parents' Class students on her new job placement as an extra hand in one of the classrooms. She is a "PWP", which is a welfare mom who now has to work 30 hours a week and attend a class in order to receive her check.
She is so thrilled to have this chance to work as an assistant-to-the-Assistant Teacher in two different classrooms. It's been gratifying to hear her trying to use all the adult-child interaction techniques we've been talking about for the last year. She's pretty good at it, too. Her Case Manager at the Job Training Office allows her to attend the Child Development Classes (Parents'Class) as part of her training. She is the second parent from our caseload (EHS) to be placed at the Head Start Center.
For all the flack that Head Start gets from politicians who look at old and flawed research about the lasting effects of the program, one of the major successes we have had for the past 35 years is in training parents to be able to hold jobs. Head Start is mandated to hire parents into entry-level positions if they qualify, even if more qualified people are interviewed. That upsets some people, but it has meant that Head Start has been responsible for getting many, many parents off the welfare rolls.
Granted, the child care profession pays poorly, and entry level jobs pay barely above minimum wage, usually part time so that there are no benefits. However, the motivated parent...and there are many of them...use this opportunity to get their education and either move up the ladder in Head Start, or to go into other, more lucrative fields. In 35 years, I've seen many parents get their bachelor's and master's degrees, and have had the privilege of meeting many who have succeeded in good jobs outside of Head Start.
One of the good decisions the designers of the Head Start Program made in 1964 has had a lasting and rippling effect: that this program would be comprehensive. In other words, it would serve the whole child, which, of course, means the family, too. And we do an excellent job. Children get better, and earlier, medical care; services for disabilities are started sooner; nutritious meals lead to better health; and family services provide a healthier, happier home environment. Do we succeed in every case to bring about the latter? Of course not. But for every failure of a family system, there are many, many successes. And at least the child has a good preschool experience, and all the medical screenings (and they brush their teeth everyday!) necessary for good health.
National Head Start has provided quality training since the early days. In my own case, I was privileged to have Dr. Constance Kamii, a Piagetian researcher, and Dr. Alicia Brandywine, a colleague of Sarah Smilansky, as two of my early trainers. And I've continued to be fortunate in the quality of teaching/training I have received. I take my position as a trainer very seriously (although my training sessions are actively fun), and I soak up everything I can from the current researchers so that I can pass on the newest information to the Head Start staff.
I didn't mean for this to become a lecture about Head Start. But, I am proud to have been associated with the program in four states, for most of the 35 years it has been in existence...and for most of my professional life.
6:38 PM
When I looked out my office window this afternoon, I saw a group of 4 year-olds and their teacher trudging up the hill, lugging plastic sleds behind them. What fun for these little ones who live in the city where there is no place to slide. It would take them a long time to get up the hill; the snow was wet and heavy in the 30-degree afternoon sunshine. But they kept plugging at it. And then! The payoff! One or two of them on a sled, they would come sedately down the hill. The softened snow made the sliding just about the right speed for preschoolers. I could hear them laughing and squealing with delight. I leaned my elbows on the heater under the window, put my chin in my hands, and soaked in the scene. Winter DOES have its moments!
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